I would generally sympathise towards Shylock for the reason that he was a Jew and Jews in Venetian society were never welcomed and could never fit in with them as this play was made in an anti-Semitic society. This was when people were prejudicial towards Jews and discriminated them for their beliefs; it was also known to be as Judephobia. The fact that Shylock was a Jew means that he will never be the hero in the play. My sympathy towards him built up through out the play as I came to understand that this character did not deserve the treatment he had got from Antonio and the people of Venice when reflecting on how I or someone else would feel if they were to be mistreated like Shylock.

When we are introduced to Shylock we are meant to see him as the evil character for the reason that he was a Jew. However, we understand that he was being treated very badly by Antonio. He called him a “…misbeliever, cutthroat dog…” and he also “spet upon” his “Jewish gabardine”. If someone were to be completely mistreated like this wouldn’t you feel some sympathy towards that person? The fact that he doesn’t react towards Antonio’s action builds up even more consideration, from the audience towards Shylock because this shows that he is not aggressive or he doesn’t seem violent and wants to stay clear of trouble. Through all the mistreatment he had put towards Shylock, Antonio comes to him in need of his help asking to borrow some money.

Shylock here would feel disgusted at the fact that he is being treated like a slave; he can be kicked and spat on but is somehow there to help out their offender. This would make him even more irritated towards Antonio. However, he decides to agree lending his money but on one occasion: if Antonio were not to repay his debt than Shylock would have the will to take a pound of his flesh. Any other moneylender would have thought of another way in which for someone to repay their debt but Shakespeare decided that Shylock is meant to be signified as the villain in the play for wanting the pound of flesh as it would be inhumane to do such a thing. This is the point in the play where some would sympathise and some wouldn’t. It does seem very ghastly to take a pound of flesh but the anguish in which a person could suffer from another’s action can only be absorbed enough for it to be converted to hatred and vengeance towards your enemies and rivals. A villain who is constantly degraded by the “hero” and doesn’t fight back or doesn’t cause pain towards any one else should not be called or even simply signified as a villain. Villains are deceptive, they are meant show pain and anguish towards the characters in a play and Shylock has none of these until he asks for the pound of flesh but only because sufferance was brought upon him by Antonio.

In the play we see Jessica eloping for a Christian man and therefore has betrayed her father, Shylock, and their roots for she was a Jew but converted into a Christian due to marrying a Christian man. Jessica turning against her father’s faith and becoming a Christian builds up even more for the sufferance in which Shylock was going through. He is devastated at this catastrophe that has occurred as we see him completely break down in the play – he states how his “…own flesh and blood rebelled” against him, signifying his daughter. What makes it even worse for Shylock is the fact that she eloped with a Christian because they hated Jews and Antonio was a representation of everything Shylock had hated; a Christian. This is the point in the play were our pity and sympathy towards is at its strongest level because he has done nothing in the play to deserve all of this suffering but that he is Jew. He has lost his dignity, he has lost his soul, he has lost his status in Venice and he has lost his daughter and one can only take so much; as the proverb says “The straw that broke the camel’s back”.

In Act III scene 1 Shylock talks about how him and Antonio are everything alike but the faith in which they both believe in. In the play he says that “… if you prick us do we not bleed, if you tickle us do we not laugh, if poison us do we not die and if you wrong us shall we not revenge…” Shylock’s memorable speech clarifies the idea that he is flesh, blood and bone and that Antonio is also flesh, blood and bone pointing out that he does not have a right to insult and fully degrade him to a point where Shylock would lose his dignity because they are both equal and deserve each others gratitude and respect.

Shylock has lost every ounce of hope for everything until he hears that Antonio’s ships have been wrecked meaning that he will not be able to pay back his debt therefore Shylock would have the right to take his pound of flesh. At this time of the play we are still unsure whether Shylock is serious about taking the pound of flesh or not. A reason in why Shylock would want to achieve such a horrendous task of taking the pound of flesh would be because he is searching for his equality with Antonio and the Christians in Venice. Other than the fact that Antonio completely mistreated Shylock, he made Shylock lose his job as a moneylender by driving him out of business. This is another point as to why Shylock has a right to be angry so Shylock wants Antonio to pay for all of his bad deeds committed against him by summing all of these deeds in one pound of his flesh.

When the play comes to the trial scene the audience then know that Shylock is serious about taking the pound of flesh from Antonio as he says “There is no power in the tongue of man to alter me. I stay here on my bond”. To take a piece of flesh from someone’s body is very grisly and actually demented to do such thing as we would see this to be inhumane and revolting; it is very unreasonable and Shylock should have thought of another way in order to get his money back but it is him asking for the pound of flesh that makes the audience see him as the villain in the play plus that he was a Jew in an anti-Semitic society because it doesn’t seem ordinary for someone to ask for a piece of human meat over a loan. However, due to all the insults and rudeness Antonio had given to him, over the years, all builds up inside until he cannot take it anymore; he needs to let the pain out by getting revenge from his worst enemy. He might have been merciless but being degraded to a position where your life has no meaning doesn’t show any mercy towards the victim, Shylock.

A man who is stripped of his dignity, his judgement, his job and his life has not much to live for. Antonio does not have a good reason to mistreat Shylock or to degrade him of his position in life only for what but that he was a Jew which in our eyes would seem very pathetic and unreasonable. Shylock was not an evil person and all he wanted was to live like every other Christian would as a Jew and make a bit of decent money in a job as a money lender and even Antonio took that from him for the reason that Antonio wanted to crush every last bit of his soul by taking everything dear to Shylock; because he was Jew with separate beliefs than a Christian. My sympathy for Shylock was as strong as ever throughout the play, he did not deserve any type of mistreatment from Antonio or any other Christian in Venice. He was just an ordinary man trying to make a decent living in an anti-semitic community.